GB: Stranded
by WayWardWonderer
Summary: A call to the forest leaves Egon and Janine Melnitz stranded in the woods. Ray, Peter and Winston work to find their missing colleagues in the darkening forest before the ghosts have the chance to finish off the Ghostbusters in a grizzly manner. ("Real Ghostbusters" fits the category as well)


An unusually busy week had scattered the Ghostbusters and stretched the team out to its limits in a desperate bid to keep up with the sudden abundance of calls. Unable to answer each call with a team of only four Janine Melnitz was asked to set aside her duties as the receptionist and pic up a proton pack to assist her bosses and friends out in the field.

The latest in the wife array of calls had summoned the Ghostbusters out of the city and into the smaller forests and parks beyond the 'Big Apple'. A pack of ghostly hounds had been reported in the forest; howling and snarling loudly as the pack hunted for a prey that stood no chance against the spectral beasts.

Winston Zeddemore drove Ecto-1 out to the relatively isolated forest with a sleep yawn in his voice. "How much further Ray?"

"About two miles more." Dr. Raymond "Ray" Stantz was sitting in the backseat of the hearse reading a map. Janine was asleep and resting comfortably against his shoulder from her position in the middle of the backseat. "As soon as we pass over the wooden bridge the the entrance to the forest will be visible. This place reminds me of all the summers I spent at camp or in the Boy Scouts. Seems so long ago..."

Dr. Peter Venkman, who was riding in the front seat beside Winston, rolled down the window and poked his head out. He took in the abundance of the towering, thick growth of trees and smelled the fresh pine that filled in the air. "The entrance to the forest is still miles away? Then what would you call this mess of trees we're already driving through? A preview?"

"Hardly." From the opposite of Janine in the backseat Dr. Egon Spengler looked up from the newly adjusted PKE meter in his hands. "Ray what details on these ghost hounds have we been provided?"

"Nothing too helpful," Ray admitted as he folded the map carefully and slipped it in the small storage compartment across from his seat for safe keeping; being slow with his movements to keep from accidentally awaking Janine. "the only consistent detail provided by the callers who've reported the pack of hounds revolves around hearing a low, guttural howl before the dogs appear. The number of hounds has yet to be confirmed and where the hounds originally manifested is still unknown."

Winston pulled the car over the old wooden bridge and slowed down to ensure the aged structure wouldn't buckle under the strain of the heavy vehicle. "Maybe the hounds are a residual manifestation from the Revolutionary War?"

Egon pondered the suggestion thoughtfully. "You may be correct Winston. If the hounds are acting in an aggressive manner it could indicate a training that revolved around tracking down prey during the way; especially if that prey was another human being."

Peter pulled his head back in from the window and rolled it up. "Is it too late to say I'm allergic to dogs?"

"Yes." The response was a chorus from the three Ghostbusters.

The discussion had awoken Janine who sat upright and ran a hand through her short red hair. "What did I miss?"

Ray answered her casually. "Nothing yet. We're just about to the entrance of the forest. We were just trying to identify the possible motivation for the hounds to be currently haunting the forest."

"As long as we can catch those darn things without anyone getting bit I'll be happy."

"You? Happy?" Peter teased from the front seat.

"Watch it Dr. V, I'm working unpaid overtime on four hours of sleep. Don't test me!"

Winston turned off the engine of Ecto-1 after parking the loaded vehicle on the end of the pathway leading into the heart of the forest. The single trail leads in for nearly one mile before it breaks into snaking branches leading into multiple directions.

"Well, we're here." Winston exited the vehicle and looked upward at the massive trees stretching high into the sky. "Now where do we begin?"

Egon stepped outside of Ecto-1 with the PKE meter in his hand. "I've fine tuned the PKE meters to detect only concentrated PKE energy signatures against our more organic environment. It'll narrow down the current location of our hounds and prevent us from following a cold trail."

"Good move, Spengz." Peter complimented as he joined his colleagues outside the parked car. "But how do find our way through the forest without getting lost?"

Ray supplied the answer as he and Janine walked over to their gathered colleagues beside the car. "Tracking devices." Ray had six small glowing discs in his hand." We'll place one on Ecto, and we'll each carry one on our person. The PKE meters can guide us back to the car and let us locate one another in the event our radios don't function properly in the high density foliage."

"Great," Peter extended his opened palm and let Ray drop a tracking device into his awaiting hand. "and as long as the devices don't fail we're golden."

"Just put the device inside the battery compartment of your radio." Ray instructed as he continued to pass out the remaining tracking devices while keeping one for himself and a second for the car. "The devices have a battery life of ninety-six hours minimum. We'll be out of here long before that."

"Good idea, Ray." Winston tucked the tracking device inside his radio and tested the radio's battery itself. "We should also keep the radio lines open at all times."

"Agreed." Egon gave Winston an adjusted PKE meter. "Tracking devices will remain on and radio communication will remain open." He gave Ray, Peter and Janine an adjusted meter as well. "We must also set a designated time to meet back here at the car, regardless of out success rate in locating and capturing the hounds."

Peter pulled back the sleeve of his jumpsuit and looked down at his watch noting the time. "It's just past noon now, so how about six o'clock before it gets dark? The last thing I want to do it come face to face with a ghost dog in a dark forest."

"Six hours should be plenty of time." Egon acknowledged.

Ray opened the rear compartment of Ecto-1 and pulled the storage rack containing the proton packs outward. "Gear up. We have six hours to scope out the forest and try to track down the hounds before they track us!"

The five intrepid Ghostbusters powered up their proton packs, tested their radios and made sure the tracking devices were all functioning properly. Setting foot inside the forest, using the trail to guide their way, the group kept sharp vigil on their surroundings for any sign of ghostly activity. The meters remained quiet as the psychokinetic energy was at a bare minimum and below registration.

Peter sighed loudly with disinterest. "Did anyone bring any treats? Or a dog whistle? Maybe a squeaky toy?"

Ignoring the sarcasm of their most laidback member of the team the Ghostbusters stopped on the trail as they found themselves with multiple branching paths to choose from.

"Which way Winston?" Ray asked as he held out his PKE meter in hopes of locating any spectral trail to follow.

"Well, I know the center path leads to a clearing with a gazebo and a lake. I'm not sure about the other three paths."

"I call dibs on the gazebo!" Raising a hand Peter stepped forward and stood on the center path before folding his arms defiantly over his chest. He studied the annoyed glances from his team before responding in a cocky manner. "What? The gazebo could be the manifestation point."

Winston continued discussing the trails. "Judging from the layout of the forest I could see during the drive the Western trail leads off to a river and and the Eastern trail should lead in a large circle that connects to the central trail on the opposite side of the lake."

"I'll take the Western trail." Ray volunteered. "I keep getting a small 'blip' on my meter and I want to check it out."

"I'll go with you." Winston took a few steps down the trail. "If you do find something I don't want you to be alone."

"That leaves the Eastern trail." Egon remarked the obvious as he adjusted his glasses. "Janine should either accompany Venkman or myself. It's unwise to split our ranks so thin in such a large environment."

"Oh no!" Janine gave Peter an annoyed glare. "There's no way I'm going anywhere with Dr. V without my coffee!" As she wrapped both of her arms around Egon's arm she caused the physicist to blush a deep red. "I'll stick with you Egon."

Before Peter had the chance to make a joke about Janine's crush on Egon the ever observant Ray spoke up. "We should get moving before it starts getting dark. Remember, we'll meet up at Ecto at six."

"Spoil sport..." Peter muttered under his breath toward Ray as he turned to make his way down the central path.

Winston and Ray walked down the Western trail side by side. Ray used the PKE meter to scan the forest to his right while Winston scanned the forest to the left.

Egon and Janine made their way steadily down the Eastern trail. Egon lead the way while Janine trailed behind by a few paces. Janine had trouble keeping up with the taller Ghostbuster's long strides but she followed without complaint.

"Little activity being detected on the meter." Egon thought out loud. "I'm uncertain if the lack of activity is the result of the hounds being in a too distant proximity to detect or if the modifications were not sufficient enough to read through the increasingly dense foliage."

"Your equipment never fails," Janine chimed in optimistically. "we're probably just not close enough to the ghosts yet."

A sudden 'chirp' on the meter caused Egon to pause on the trail. Janine stopped right behind him and looked at the meter in his hand.

"What is it?"

"A spectral anomaly has manifested nearby. Contact Ray and let him know we may have found the hounds."

"Right." Janine took the radio which was clipped to the left shoulder strap of her proton pack and called out for Ray. "Dr. Stantz, can you hear me?"

There was a delayed static filled response over the radio as Ray's voice finally broke through. ' _Jan...? Can you h... m.?_ '

"I can barely hear you. Egon and I may have found something over here on the Eastern trail. Can you-"

A loud, deep howl sounded off through the trees in all direction. The startling sound caused Janine to jump and drop her radio on the forest floor. The drop was far enough to cause the radio to break and fall completely silent.

"Egon?!" Janine took a step closer to her only companion. "Please tell me you know where they are!"

"I'm attempting to narrow down the location, but from these readings we can confirm that there are six hounds and they are all currently circling our location."

"Circling? Why?"

Egon gave Janine a stern look. "You don't want to know the details. Aim your thrower and open fire at any movement in the treeline." Egon unsheathed the thrower from his own proton pack and prepared to do the same. "We only have two traps between us, we must try to catch multiple ghosts in a single trap if we're to survive."

"That sounds... promising." Janine did as she was instructed and aimed her thrower at the treeline.

The hounds howled in a menacing choir of echoing ethereal growls once again. The six beasts circled around the two humans who stood statuesque in the middle of the wooded trail. Occasionally branches and twigs would rustle or snap under the ghostly paws of snarling hounds, and a faint blue tint would glow indicating the swiftly pacing beasts who lurked ever closer to their perceived prey.

"Egon..." Janine was doing her best to sound confident but the shaking in her voice exposed her mounting fear. "I can see three of the dogs over here."

"And the other three are on the opposite side. They're circling us, trying cut off any possible retreat."

"What do we do?"

"As soon as you have a clear shot, take it!"

Through the rustling treeline a massive hound bathed in a blue aura bolted toward the duo with its vicious fangs bared. Unleashing a series of deep barks two other hounds followed the leader and made a move to attack the Ghostbusting duo.

"Egon!" Janine shouted as she opened fire. The thrower's proton stream wrangled itself around the pack leader and held the snarling beast at bay. "I think I got one!"

"That's good Janine." Egon had opened fire almost at the remaining three hounds just seconds after Janine. He too had a hound ensnared in the proton stream but was unable to wrangle the other two. "We can't take our eyes from the remaining four hounds. They'll attempt to attack us by flanking."

"Flanking?" Janine had heard the term but wasn't fully clear on its true definition. "You mean they'll try to attack us from the side?"

"Precisely!" Egon confirmed as he took a step back, only to find himself bumping into Janine who had her back to his own. They had been isolated and pinned down by the hounds. "Janine... We need to move!"

"But where?!" She asked in a near panic as the two hounds attempted to free the leader from her proton stream.

"Anywhere!" Egon threw down the trap that was attached to his belt and stomped on the trigger to capture the three hounds that stood before him. As the three beasts were drawn down into the trap Egon stomped the trigger again. With one hand he unfastened the clasp to the proton pack from around his waist and shrugged the straps from his shoulders. Reaching back he grabbed Janine's hand and began to pull her along as he ran past the trap and down the trail. "We need to run!"

Janine turned on her heels, dropping her thrower in the process as Egon proceeded to run as fast as possible away from the dangerous hounds and deeper into the forest.

"Egon! Slow down!" Janine had difficulty keeping up with the much taller man but didn't dare to try and slow down herself. "What's wrong? Why did we have to run?"

"My pack has overheated." Egon explained in his naturally calm tone as he continued to pull Janine down the trail behind him. "The hounds exude a tremendous amount of psychokinetic energy that I hadn't-"

A loud explosion and beam of white light erupted from the trail several yards back from where Egon had abandoned his pack. A shock wave of ionized energy swept through the forest causing the trees to rustle violently along the trail. The howling of hounds was carried eerily through the wave as Egon and Janine paused momentarily in the middle of the trail.

Egon looked back down the trail as the bright light of the destroyed proton pack dissipated and faded into natural light. The threatening howls of the hounds continued to echo through the forest.

"Egon... Are we safe?" Janine asked as she stood at his side warily.

"Unlikely." Egon took one step back as he stared at the horizon. "I believe that only the three hounds that were captured in the trap are no longer a menace. The remaining three are more than capable of breaking free of the proton stream and I suspect that their enhanced PKE signature was enough to shield them from the explosion of the proton pack."

"If they could withstand an explosion like that..." Janine trailed off as even the thought was enough to make her tremble in fear.

Three bright blue auras erupted from the treeline as the hounds continued their pursuit.

"Run!" Egon urged as he turned on his heels and pulled Janine along once more by her hand. "We must locate the others."

"Why can't I use my proton pack?" Janine asked in near panting breaths.

"My pack was overheated by one hound, yours was already on the verge of overheating as well. Any attempt to capture all three hounds will ultimately result in a second explosion leaving us completely defenseless."

The hounds closed in quickly on their prey. Egon and Janine ran as fast as they could in a desperate attempt to flee the savage beasts. As they raced deeper and deeper into the forest the foliage thickened, the treeline obstructed the natural light from the sun above and the trail narrowed from a broad path into a waning path of untouched flora.

Along with the haunting howl of the dangerous hounds behind the fleeing Ghostbusters a second thundering noise grew in sound and intensity before them. The source was concealed behind heavy brush that seemingly restricted the duo's only escape route.

Breaking through the brush and low hanging tree branches Egon found himself standing at the top of a rather impressive cliff that overlooked a raging river several yards below. Stopping quickly Egon stumbled awkwardly on his feet as he turned in time to stop Janine by catching her as she all but collided with the tall physicist.

"Why'd you-" Janine's question was answered before she even had the chance to finish. She heard the crashing of the river and could smell the fresh water. "Oh... no..."

The hounds drew closer at an incredible speed. Egon put himself between Janine and the hounds, forcing her to stand dangerously close to the edge of the cliff as a result.

"Janine," Egon kept his eye on the treeline as he protectively stretched out his arm in front of her as if he could somehow shield her from harm. "we're going to have to jump."

"What?! Are you serious?!" She turned to look at the raging river over her shoulder. The water wasn't deep but with it had a rampaging current and multiple boulders that jutted from the riverbed all downstream. "We won't survive!"

"Our odds are slightly better in the river than they are facing off against the hounds."

"I... Uh..." Janine closed her eyes and wrapped her arms around Egon's protective arm. Her entire body was shaking with fear and adrenaline. "Okay, I trust you."

Egon turned his gaze slightly to look at Janine's face and could see the hesitation weighing her down. Before he could offer any further words of comfort the three hounds let loose one last deafening howl before rushing through the treeline with their mouths wide open, their ivory white fangs glistening in the sunlight.

"Jump!" Egon shouted as he turned around and wrapped both arms around Janine and jumped into the river with her in his protective grip.

The churning water was cold. It sent painful stinging through every nerve of their bodies like a thousand needles slicing through their flesh. The powerful rapids tossed the two humans about without effort. Egon fought his way to the surface to take in a deep breath, his arms still hugging around Janine who also took in a breath.

A swift change in the current caused the duo to crash into a large boulder which was strong enough to loosen Egon's grip. Egon's back slammed hard intot he boulder knocking the wind from his lungs. Janine was torn away from his arms and swept further downstream while Egon clung desperately to the slick boulder in an attempt to catch his breath.

"Egon!" Janine shouted loudly over the crashing rapids. Her head disappeared beneath the water and didn't resurface.

Losing his glasses in the fall Egon's world was a racing blur of rapid movement and deafening noise.

"Janine!" Egon managed to yell out as he watched Janine helplessly being carried away by the river. Her bright red hair fading from his blurry sight.

Futilely Janine attempted to swim against the powerful current. The dangerous torrent pushed her deep under the surface of the water and against the rocky riverbed below. The heavy proton pack on her back made her dilemma all the more difficult. As the raging current pressed her down against the riverbed the thrower on her pack fell loose from its sheath and the long cable had become pinned between two large boulders.

Janine tried to pull the thrower's cable free of the rocks but didn't have the strength. As she tried to free herself from the rocks spots began to dance in her vision as the effort used what little oxygen she had left as she continued to hold her breath. Total darkness swam over her vision and all that she knew faded as unconsciousness overtook her.

Strong hands unfastened the proton pack strap from around Janine's waist before pulling her arms free of the shoulder supports. Egon had found Janine under the water and was working quickly to free her from the riverbed.

Wrapping one arm around Janine's chest, under her arms, Egon swam to the surface of the river and over to the shoreline that carved itself through the rock terrain that lined the river.

Coughing heavily Egon all but blindly dragged himself onto the shore with one arm, his other arm supporting Janine's unconscious body as he pulled her from the water and onto the shore. Egon laid on his stomach trying catch his breath while Janine was laying on her side, not moving.

"Janine?" Egon coughed again as he pressed his fingers to the side of her cold neck to check for a pulse. There was no steady beating beneath his fingertips. "Janine?!" He leaned down and pressed his ear to her chest. She wasn't breathing and he couldn't hear her heart beating. "Janine, wake up."

Egon rolled Janine flat onto her back and straightened her neck to ensure her airway was unobstructed. Tilting her head back he pinched her nose as he blew two deep breaths into her mouth. From the corner of his eye he watched as her chest barely rose and fell with his forced breaths before lacing his fingers together and compressing his two hands down near the center of her chest. He compressed fifteen times, counting each compression out loud as he performed CPR on the drowned woman.

After finishing the first round of compressions Egon breathed twice more for Janine before beginning the second round. Before he could count to three Janine suddenly sputtered and coughed up clear river water.

"Janine!" Egon gently rolled her back to her side and supported her head and neck as she continued to cough up the water and try to take in a deep breath. "You'll be okay, try to relax."

In the distance, just barely audible over the thundering river, the three hounds howled angrily from up the river.

Unclipping the radio from his belt Egon pressed the 'talk' button and held the device to his lips. "Ray. Peter. Winston. Do you read?"

There was no reply. There wasn't even a static ambience being emitted by the radio when left open.

"Radio isn't working." He clipped it back to his belt and did his best to ignore the burning pain in his back and concentrate on Janine.

As Janine finally stopped coughing Egon rolled her onto her back, using his arm to support her head and neck in the process. Placing his other arm beneath her legs Egon scooped her up from the shore and carried her away from the river and a few paces into the forest.

It was too dangerous for the duo to be out in the open but neither could afford to stray too far away from the river as it was their only landmark to guide them through the forest.

"You'll be fine Janine." Egon stated in a somewhat winded tone of voice. "I'll get you back to safety."

* * *

Peter had found his way to the gazebo and was kicking back in a very relaxed posture with his feet perched up on a railing. The gazebo was a large structure of white painting and blue trim. The bench inside the gazebo was too inviting for the psychologist to resist as he located the popular landmark.

The sound of approaching boot steps caught his ear. Opening his eyes he spotted both Ray and Winston approaching with their radios in hand. "Gentlemen." He greeted in a very casual manner. "Catch the hounds?"

"No." Winston answered in a low voice. "Have you seen Egon or Janine?"

Winston's tone of voice was enough to cause Peter to get serious. "No. I heard Janine trying to get in touch with Ray over the radio, but that was almost," he looked down at his watch. "twenty minutes ago."

Ray was fussing with radio. Making sure that the radio was on the correct frequency and that the battery was working properly he continued to try and make contact with Janine and Egon. "Janine? Janine! Please respond." Nothing. "Egon? Egon can you hear this?" Still nothing.

"Something's wrong." Winston pressed with a stern glare in his eyes. "We need to go find them."

"I think you're right." Ray finally stopped meddling with his radio as he heard the sound of the hounds howling in the distance. "We better head toward the river. They may be in danger!"

"Yeah," Peter bolted upright from his place in the gazebo and unsheathed his thrower. "if Egon could answer us he would. Something happened to them out there and we're going to find out what." The sky was beginning to darken as noon began its transition into evening." Let's go. No one messes with Janine except for me!"

* * *

Egon was exhausted. The physical exertion of running from the hounds, the leap into the river and the swim against the merciless current of the river was almost too much for him to bear. The act of performing CPR was also physically taxing a the effort required tremendous control in a person's upper body strength. Carrying Janine's unconscious body was draining his energy all the more as he walked through the forest using the river as his guide.

Fatigue had won out. Kneeling down in a small clearing beside the river Egon carefully laid Janine down on the ground and pressed the back of his hand to her neck. Her pulse was strong and regular but her skin was icy to the touch.

"Hypothermia." Egon deduced easily. "I must build a fire to keep her warm."

Gathering a small bundle of broken sticks and dried leaved Egon gathered the kindling together in a small spot on the ground. Using his hand he dug a small divot into the soft ground and placed the kindling inside of it. Lining the kindling with a circle of stones washed ashore by the river Egon located some broken branches to build a small campfire.

"Ray showed me how to do this." Egon thought out loud as he took a dried stick and began twirling it quickly between the palms of his hands against the large log in the center of the stones. Smoke began to billow out from the log as the heat induced friction of the moving stick began to cause the bark of the log to smolder. Using dried leaves to insulate the growing heat a burst of light emanated as a small flame began to burn on the log and grow in size as it trailed down the small twigs and dried leaves. "It's very fortunate that Ray was a dedicated Boy Scout."

As the campfire began to flare to life in a bright, warm orange glow Egon kneeled down beside Janine witch a wincing pain that race up his back and held her in his arms. Sitting beside the fire Egon held her tight and hoped that the campfire would be enough to warm her and stave off the damaging effects of hypothermia.

"It's possible that the fire will draw attention of either our colleagues or a patrolling forest ranger." Egon continued to think out loud. There were moments where he hoped that Janine would hear him speaking and wake up. "I wish you had told me you that you don't know how to swim. I wouldn't have insisted on jumping into the river." He lamented sincerely. "I'm sorry."

* * *

"Anything showing up yet?" Peter asked as Ray and Winston checked their PKE meters for the tracking devices placed on both Janine and Egon's radios.

"Nothing. Either they're out of range or there's a malfunction." Winston calmly explained. "I don't know which is worse."

"Come on." Ray urged as he switched his meter's setting back to checking for PKE signatures. "We need to keep looking.

* * *

Egon unclipped his radio from his belt and tested it once again. Nothing. The radio had been irreparably damaged by the river and could no longer relay any communication.

"Waterlogged." Egon analyzed coldly. Pulling open the battery compartment he checked the tracking device. "Damaged." Even without his glasses Egon could see the heavy wear that the delicate equipment had endured.

There was no way for Egon to contact his colleagues and there was no way for his colleagues to track Egon or Janine.

"We may be stranded out here for the night." Egon whispered to Janine who was cold and almost lifeless in his arms. "I cannot apologize enough for your current situation."

* * *

Ray used his PKE meter to detect the current location of the hounds. Three small blips on the display darted about aimlessly along the Eastern trail. The deep howls also emanated from the East. The trio marched onward boldly knowing that they were closing in on the ghostly beasts.

"Three." Ray remarked. "The meter has only detected three PKE signatures without any change."

"Let's hope the meter is right and it stays at three." Peter grumbled as he followed close behind Ray. "Three of them versus the three of us. I like those odds."

Winston was following is friends, his trained eyes keeping vigil of the trail and of their surroundings to ensure they didn't get turned around or lost in the unfamiliar territory. "As long as we find Egon and Janine I don't care how many of those dogs we need to deal with."

A massive blip on the center of the display caught Ray off guard. "Whoa! There's something big on the trail just up ahead!"

"Another ghost?" Winston asked as he unsheathed his thrower.

"Not sure. But it is emitting a massive PKE surge. It could very well be a ghost, but it isn't moving." Ray looked past the display and down the darkening trail ahead. "It's just sitting there."

"Then let's get the jump on it." Peter suggested boldly as he took a step in front of Ray with his thrower aimed at the unseen target sitting just a few yards ahead. "Three against one are even better odds."

Keeping low and quiet Peter approached the curious object that had been picked up by the PKE meter. Ray and Winston stood back and watch their friend's back, ready to make a move in the event that something attempts to attack Peter.

Peter found himself staring down at a smoldering black crater in the middle of the trail. A chunk of twisted metal debris sat idle and the smell of ozone filled the air.

"Hey guys!" Peter shouted out for his colleagues. "You're going to want to see this."

Ray and Winston raced over to Peter and focused on the object that he was staring at. Ray knelt down and sifted through the shrapnel that littered the trail. "This was a proton pack." He confirmed solemnly. "And it looks like pieces of a radio."

"That explains why Janine and Egon haven't said anything." Winston observed. "Broken radio and busted pack. What happened to them out here?"

"Whatever it was," Ray stood up and dusted the dirt from his knee. "it wasn't good."

"And look at this." Peter pointed to another object on the ground. "A trap."

Winston picked up the trap by its long black cable. "It's been used. And it's currently occupied." He pointed at the flashing light that had been dimmed from smoke and dirt. "It's really hot despite sitting alone for some time now. Whatever they caught must be powerful."

"Dangerous, too." Peter commented dryly. Walking past the dropped trap and ruined equipment Peter spotted a trail of rapidly moving boot prints and a swarm of large paw prints. "They caught something and something else went after them."

"You're right." Winston checked the tracks. "From the looks of the indents in the dirt Egon and Janine were running as fast as possible and the thing that was chasing after them was running just as fast."

The howls of the hounds echoed with a wicked menace in the distance. As the sun continued to lower in the sky the forest became increasingly dark and the air was becoming colder.

"Come on." Ray took the lead and used his PKE meter to guide his way. "We need to find them before these ghosts do."

"How far away are they?" Peter inquired hesitantly.

"Less than two miles from us."

"I wonder how far away Egon and Janine are?" Winston muttered bitterly. "It'll be dark soon, we gotta' move!"

Using the trail and boot prints as their lead the trio followed the path that Egon and Janine had taken as they fled from the hounds. The thundering crash of the river roared out across the forest as the trio neared the cliff side drop that housed the river.

"Dead end." Peter declared the group broke through the brush and stood at the edge of the cliff.

"This can't be right." Ray refused to accept that the trail had gone cold. "They must be around here somewhere!"

Winston looked toward the horizon and took in the floral environment that surrounded them. "If the dogs chased them here then I think their only escape was..." He looked down at the raging river far below. "Do you think they could survive that kind of a drop?"

"Possibly." Ray estimated their current height and the depth of the river. The PKE meter began chirping wildly as the energy readings produced by the hounds suddenly spiked. "Guys! They're close! About a mile downstream!"

"And I bet the hounds can lead us directly to Egon." Peter wagered nervously. "Let's find a way across, now!"

* * *

Egon was listening intently to the howls in the distance. The ghostly hounds were in the area, they were still tracking their prey and they were closing in at an alarming rate. The orange glow of the fire cast eerie shadows along the treeline and over the clearing. The howls were getting louder and the sky was getting darker.

Janine was still unconscious. Egon kept as still as possible as he held her in his arms and prepared for the worst.

In the distance through the brush three pale blue auras began shining. The auras danced through the treeline as they approached the makeshift campsite.

Egon's eyes narrowed as he focused on in the approaching ghosts.

"Janine, I'm not sure if you can hear me or not but I fear we may have to try to run again." He didn't dare take his eyes away from the trees. Tightening his grip around her he shifted his weight from a sitting position and into a kneeling position so that if he needed to he could quickly get to his feet and run. "I'll do my best to keep you safe."

The howls grew louder and the hounds drew closer.

Two of the auras remained in the treeline in front of Egon while the third aura disappeared.

"They're separating, dividing into two teams. One in the front and the second in the back." Egon observed keenly. "The second team will try to provoke us into running into an ambush set up by the first team. We mustn't move..."

A rustling in the bush behind Egon as well a deep howl was enough to send a shiver down his spine. The padding sound of heavy paws treading over dirt indicated that the hound was readily honing in on its prey.

"Janine, I know you've harbored deeply set feelings for me for some time now and I've never reciprocated your affections." He held her tighter to his chest. "If this is how ours lives end I want you to know that I-"

A loud snarl and quick thud on the ground sounded off as the hound bolted toward Egon's exposed back.

Egon shut his eyes and prepared for the attack of the hound. He leaned forward in an attempt to shield Janine from the gaping maw and vicious fangs of the ethereal hound.

The blast of proton stream erupted from the treeline ahead of Egon. The stream snaked around the hound as it leapt toward the physicist and was held in midair.

Egon opened his eyes and looked at the treeline as a figure confidently stepped forward. "Venkman!"

"I gotcha' covered Spengz!"

The posture and height of his friend was all Egon needed in order to correctly identify Peter in the dim light.

The remaining two hounds darted out of the treeline from behind Peter with the intent to attack.

"Peter! Behind you!" Egon shouted desperately to his friend.

Two more proton streams burst through the treeline and ensnared the two remaining hounds.

Ray and Winston stepped forth and threw their traps down on the ground. "There you are!" Ray cheered as he saw Egon and Janine in front of the fire. "Don't worry, we got this under control!"

Peter followed suit and threw down his own trap as he pulled the struggling hound away from Egon and toward the trap near the campfire. "Not so fun when the hunter becomes the hunted, is it?"

"Shield your eyes!" Winston called out as he stomped on the trigger for his trap.

Ray and Peter also opened their traps filling the clearing with three beams of bright white ionized light. The hounds snarled, howled and whined as the dangerous ghostly beasts were secured inside the metal boxes. Wisps of gray smoke drifted from the traps as the powerful ghosts were captured and the doors to the traps snapped shut with another stomp of the release triggers.

"Got 'em!" Peter boasted as he turned off his thrower. "You alright Spengz?"

"I'm fine." Egon answered gratefully. "But Janine requires medical attention."

Ray and Winston knelt beside Janine and assessed her condition.

"She nearly drowned," Egon explained morosely. "I was able to revive her but she hasn't regained consciousness."

"Her skin is cool." Winston noted as he rested his hand on her forehead. "But I imagine without the fire she'd be a lot worse."

"They both would!" Peter declared tactlessly. "That fire is what lead us to you guys."

Ray lifted Janine up from Egon's arms. "There's a blanket in the storage compartment of Ecto-1. We can keep her warm until we're back in the city."

Winston offered Egon his hand and helped the weary physicist to his feet. "We found the busted proton pack, radio and trap up on the trail. What happened out here?"

Egon winced as he got back to his feet. "I'll explain everything on the drive back to the city. How did you find us? The radios aren't function and the tracking device has been damaged."

Ray motioned toward the campfire. "The old fashioned way."

"There was a bridge a few yards away from the cliff," Peter chimed in quickly. "it was a lot easier to cross the river that way than your way!"

"Come on." Winston lead the way back down the river. "We better get Janine out of her quick."

* * *

Janine had been admitted to the hospital for the night for observation. Aside from moderate congestion from her near drowning and the mild hypothermia Janine was in remarkably good health. A few bruises on her arms, legs and back was the only visible trauma she had sustained during the fall.

Egon had also been admitted for the night as a precaution. Though he hadn't inhaled any river water and hadn't been exposed to the cold for too long the doctors wanted to keep an eye on him as he did suffer two fractured ribs just below his left shoulder blade when he had been slammed against the large boulder in the river.

Ray sat with Egon in his hospital room while Peter and Winston looked in on Janine. "Three ghosts in one trap, that has to be a new record!"

"Not one I'm looking to break any time soon." Egon studied Ray's face intently, very appreciative of Ray retrieving his extra pair of glasses from the firehouse. "How's Janine?"

"The doctor said she'll be fine. She woke up about an hour ago with a splitting headache."

"Does she remember what happened?"

Ray's expression began rigid as he dared to answer the question. "Yeah. She remembers having to jump into the river."

"How unfortunate." Egon internally flinched at the bleak memory.

"She also remembers being pulled out of the river."

"She does?" Egon was perplexed by the revelation. "How? She was unconscious and very close to death."

"She said she remembered feeling a pair of hands freeing her from the riverbed."

Egon pictured the events unfolding in his mind as Ray spoke.

"And, uh..." Ray nervously wrung his hands together. "Peter is already teasing her about you giving her CPR. You know, the 'kiss of life' thing."

Egon wasn't concerned with Peter's childish humor at the moment. "Does she remember anything else?"

"Not really. Everything after that is a blank."

"Perhaps that is for the best." Egon looked away shamefully. "She nearly died out there. She should never had been out there to begin with."

"Egon, she's strong. A lot stronger than most people give her credit for. If she didn't want to be out in the field with us tonight she never would've left the firehouse." Ray reminded his troubled colleague lightly. "She was out there with us because she wanted to help us."

"You're right." Egon put his legs over the edge of his bed and flinched in pain. "I'd like to speak with her."

"Sure, why not?" Ray handed Egon a robe to put on over his hospital gown. "She's two doors down."

Peter and Winston were still sitting with Janine and keeping her company. A large blue blanket was draped over her as she laid in her bed and did her best to stay warm.

"Janine?" Ray announced their arrival. "Do you mind if we stop by for a moment?"

Janine looked over at Ray happily and to Egon appreciatively. "Not at all."

Peter took the opportunity to excuse himself. "I'll leave you guys alone. I'm sure you want to discuss your impromptu camping trip _in private_."

Winston put his hands on Peter's shoulders and playfully shoved him out the door. "Watch it Peter! She may be a patient here but I still think she could kick your butt!"

"I appreciate your concern," Peter quipped as he and Winston exited the room. "and so does my butt!"

Ray stepped aside as Peter and Winston passed through the door. "We'll be outside if you need anything." He too exited the room and shut the door behind him.

Egon slowly approached the bed and stood beside Janine. "I'm relieved to see that your are awake."

"I'm just glad we're not dog food."

"If I had known you cannot swim I wouldn't have-"

"Egon, it's okay." Janine interrupted firmly. "we're both still alive and I know you wouldn't have done it if there was another choice."

"Thank you for understanding."

"Thanks for saving my life." She blushed brightly. "Winston told me what you did. Thank you, for everything."

"You are welcome." Egon replied with a slight blush of his own. "As for field work-"

"I've had my fill." Janine joked. "I'll be staying behind that desk for quite a while."

"That's good." Egon nodded in agreement and folded his arms in front of his chest. "Do you require anything for the night?"

"Just... I'd just like some company. If that's okay with you."

Egon nodded again. Without hesitation he took a seat in the chair beside her bed. "Not at all."

"Thank you." Janine laid back against her pillow and curled up onto her right side. Slipping off her glasses she shut her eyes and smiled a little. "Goodnight Egon."

Egon leaned back in the chair and closed his eyes as well. "Goodnight Janine."

 _ **-The End  
**_

(...or is it?)


End file.
